Rivals’ No. 6 LB Judah Blair names top 10 schools

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West four-star linebacker Judah Blair is one of the top juniors in all of the Midwest. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has accrued droves of offers, but he's honing in on 10 schools moving forward.

Blair told Rivals' Hayes Fawcett on Thursday evening that Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, NC State, Oregon, Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee and Virginia Tech are atop his hotly-contested recruitment.

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The speedy playmaker still has a ways to go before he pulls the trigger on a decision, but back in the summer, he did tab an early leader when speaking with Rivals' Chad Simmons. NC State entered the fall with the edge for the blue-chipper.

"NC State has made a very strong impression on me," he said. "Me and my linebacker coach (Isaiah Moore) are building a strong relationship. I like their linebacker development, and I like that the coaching staff has been there for a while. You know they're not just going to flake on you when you arrive. I like the atmosphere too."

Oregon was another program mentioned. The Ducks may be over 2,000 miles away in Eugene, but that's never stopped Dan Lanning and Co. before. The Big Ten program made Thursday's cut and will keep the foot on the gas with Blair moving forward.

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"I need to know the coaching staff is good people outside of being good coaches," he said about what will factor into his decision. "Education is number one. Then I want production. I don't want to go somewhere that's not known for developing linebackers. I want to know I'm going to be taught new things and become a better player."

Blair is a beast for one of Ohio's top HSFB programs

Lakota West continues to emerge as one of the top programs in the Cincinnati metro and all of Ohio. This fall, the Firebirds are off to a 4-1 start. They enter this week as the No. 8 team in Ohio, according to the Rivals Composite Rankings.

As a sophomore last fall, Blair finished with 57 total tackles. He had 15.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. He's on pace to blow those numbers out of the water as a junior. Through five games, he's already collected 49 tackles.

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Blair is the No. 82 overall prospect and No. 6 LB in the 2028 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He's also the No. 3 junior in Ohio.